Common Barioth
Barioth is a Pseudowyvern, a subfamily of the Flying Wyverns, and only found in the Tundra of the Moga Region, where it is one of the apex predators. It can be easily determined through its great amber-colored tusks and white scales. Besides this subspecies, another one can be found in the Sandy Plains. While solitary before their first (successful) mating season they can be found with a partner roaming the Tundra, usually looking for prey like the Popo. As they are monogamous, they normally have only one partner in life, though they search for another after some time when the other one dies. Taxonomy Barioth is part of the Pseudowyverns, an order in the family Flying Wyvern. It is the only known species in the Genus Saber-Toothed Pseudowyvern and has only two subspecies. The genus is closely related to the Fur Pseudowyverns, which only consists of the three Nargacuga subspecies. Its Latin name, Dracoleo ferox ferox, means "ferocious dragon lion". Characteristics Appearance The amber-colored tusks and the black spikes stand out as the rest of its scaled body is colored in white shades blending in well with the ice. A short, dense pelt covers the Wyvern's main body. Barioth uses the tail which is half of its fully body length as weapon with strong tail whips. Unlike most Pseudowyverns, Barioth can still fly excellently; nearly as good as famously great fliers like the Rathalos. On the ground, it uses its front limbs with the wing membranes as a second pair of legs to walk on the ice. The spikes help it to get grip on the ice so it can move faster in that conditions than other monsters. One special trait are its blue eyes, which turn to red if enraged. This can be explained by the blood rushing to its head when angry. Measures While being 2 to 3 metres long at birth, they can grow to a size of 16.4 to 21.1 metres. The tail is about as long as the main body, which means both sections of an adult individual are about 8 to 10.5 metres long. Though without tusks at birth, Barioths grow them in their first two weeks after their birth for 2.5 to 3.5 cm per year getting a length of about 1.2m. Barioth has a shoulder height of about 3 metres but with wings a height of 3.2 to 3.7m. The wingspan is almost as long as its body length, at 15-20m. The biggest spikes on the wings and tail grow to a size of 1 to 1.5m, while the claws are 0.7 to 1m long. Inner Organs A pair of so-called frost sacs lie beside the lungs. They contain a shockingly cold fluid that almost instantly freezes and turns into ice crystals when it comes in contact with air. Barioth can spit this fluid using its strong throat, compressing it to an unstable ball which, upon hitting the ground, releases the pressure, creating a temporary tornado. The other Barioth subspecies can create a similar tornado, lasting much longer than this one. Distribution Only living in the Tundra of the Moga Region, Barioth has become the icon of the Tundra - as its title "Ruler of the Tundra" suggests. Perfectly adapted to the ice plains and cliffs, it can be found almost anywhere in its habitat, even in the dark caves. Besides the Tundra, it could possibly live in the Snowy Mountains, though that is quite unlikely as it couldn't get there easily. The Snowy Mountains' lack of ice and icy cliffs, the Barioth has, more or less, no need for the spikes. They could even be a disadvantage, as when the spikes hit stone, it could fall over. Barioth is too well adapted to the Tundra to live in the Snowy Mountains. The other subspecies, the Barioth Subspecies, lives in the Sandy Plains. It has assumed the sandy color to merge with the dunes of sand and rocky cliffs. Adaptation Ecological Niche Barioth is one of the apex predators of the Tundra, though, in terms of strength, it's surpassed by some other predators like the Stygian Zinogre and the Glacial Agnaktor. The Pseudowyvern makes up for this disadvantage with agility and intelligence. Besides the other apex predators, only the two Gigginox subspecies can pose a problem to it, and rarely Great Baggi if it manages to hit the Barioth with its soporific spit. A healthy individual, however, would be too agile for the Baggi pack to put it successfully to sleep. Biological Adaptations Physical Adapations With its white pelt and scales it is perfectly adapted to the environment in terms of temperature and camouflage. A Barioths strong tusks can easily cut through the fat-rich monsters living in the Tundra and still be fatal. But the most remarkable adaptation is the ability to grip ice with its claws and spikes, so that it doesn't slide. This is what makes it the fastest monster in the Tundra. It is supposed that it also climbs well, as it can use its spikes and claws to grip the icy walls. In opposition to other Pseudowyverns, it has great flying skills, being able to fly long periods of time and long distances which enlarges its territory greatly. Barioth is even close in flying skills to great fliers like Rathalos, Rathian and not as close to Berukyurosu and Doragyurosu. As a warm-blooded Wyvern, it can live in cold temperatures by warming itself internally through its metabolism. Senses Its sense of sight is well evolved so that it can see through blizzards. The eyes are also very important for its hunting style as it requires to see how high up it is, and to see where and when exactly it needs to hit to fatally injure or instantly kill a prey animal or enemy. It also sees well in the darkness of the Tundra caves, so every part of the Tundra can be explored and inhabited by this Pseudowyvern. The sight is its most important sense. The nose is noticeably big. It uses it to warm the air it breathes in. But this process could be the basis for a good sense of smelling, as a bigger nose breathes in a larger amount of air, and with that more odorants. Resultantly, Barioths are supposed to have a good smell as well, though it hasn't been proved until now. The Flying Wyvern's sense of balance is pronounced too, as such speed and agility require this. With a poorer balance than this, it would have problems to keep itself on its legs with the high speeds it reaches. Most of its other senses aren't very good. A Barioths sense of hearing is rather poor, as it doesn't need it too often and this would be a disadvantage against such loud roars, like those the Gigginox emits. Its sense of touch is a little better, but not significantly. Biology and Behavior Hunting and Diet Its hunting style is unique, as it is the only known monster to attack from the sky and use the power of this dive to actually crush the prey, instead of just grabbing it like Rathalos or Rathian. This hunting method requires accurate calculations of exactly the speed, power, and position of the strike, but it also requires solid bones, particularly in the front limbs and shoulders. Barioth is a carnivore, thus only eating meat. It prefers fresh meat, preferably of prey it took down itself. Its main prey are Popos, whose blood give the Wyvern's tusks their coloration. It also hunts Anteka, Bullfango, Bulldrome, Lagombi, and sometimes Baggi and Great Baggi. Occasionally, it will even go after young Tigrex, Barroth Subspecies, Agnaktor Subspecies, Stygian Zinogre and Brachydios - but very rarely. Intelligence It's supposed, that Barioth is the one of the most intelligent Wyvern species after Nargacuga (supposed second most intelligent) and Berukyurosu/Doragyurosu (supposed most intelligent). Its intelligence can be seen in its hunting style as the Pseudowyvern needs to calculate its speed and the strength. It also needs to place the strike right in a few seconds as it normally, especially to defeat enemies, only has one chance. As Barioth isn't the strongest predator in the Tundra the Flying Wyvern requires high intelligence to overcome challengers of other or its own species so it needs to outwit them instead of simply attacking them. Strong competitors for food are Stygian Zinogre, Agnaktor Subspecies, Tigrex and Brachydios. Natural Predators While there are many predators that could kill a Barioth in a duel, the Pseudowyverns are smart enough to avoid such confrontations, and also agile enough to succeed in evading or escaping. But for the whelps, any bigger monster is a potential threat, especially when they still aren't able to fly (which they learn at an age of 3 years). Stygian Zinogre, Agnaktor Subspecies, Tigrex and Brachydios are the main offenders, although the two Gigginox subspecies and a Baggi pack could also be dangerous when attacking the offspring with their poison/paralyzing shocks/soporific spit. Social Behavior Barioths are solitary till they find a partner in mating season. Single females walk freely through the Tundra, while males have big territories that don't overlap with one another. Individuals tolerate others with different gender, but tend to fight when encountering other Barioths with the same gender; particularly the males. After mating season, the chosen female shares the territory with the male, who becomes much more territorial. They are monogamous normally, only having one partner in a life time, but when its mate dies, the remaining Barioth will search for a second partner during the next mating season. They mark their territory with excrements and the pheromones in urine. Further marking methods may be scratches on trees and ice cliffs, although it's unknown if this is one purpose of doing this, or it simply functions as maintenance of its claws and tusks and nothing more. Reproduction The mating season is in autumn to early winter. At this time, the number of usable territories increase by as far as the ice presses forward to the normally ice-free areas. They find partners in this time, who share their territories for the rest of their lives, unless one of them dies earlier. As Barioths are monogamous, both partners only mate with each other. Females have 2 to 4 whelps at each birth (on average, 3) and normally give birth once or, at most, twice in their lives, unless one litter dies. This shortens the time for the female to ovulate again from what she normally would (after the offspring were some years away before becoming adult). Barioths have an average life span of 20 to 40 years. The youngs are blind to the first month and eat small parts of meat their mother or father cut off for them. They learn to walk after they open their eyes, but until then, they are totally reliant on their parents. At an age of 2 to 3 months, they become more mobile and begin to explore the environment. From this time on until they leave their parents' territory, the young Barioths are very playful and cling to each other and their parents. About three years after birth they learn to fly. When they've trained enough and are passable fliers, the young go on their first hunt, first observing their parents and then assuming their hunting style. After several years, at an age of about 7 to 8 years, they leave the territory of the parents. The males wander through the land searching a territory and waiting for their sexual maturity at about 11 years. The females roam around too, but reaching sexual maturity at an age of about 9 years. They can be found taking part in the mating season quite early. Relation to Humans Barioth Theories See: Barioth Theories Category:Information Category:Fauna/Flora Category:Monster Category:Wyvern Category:Flying Wyvern Category:Pseudowyvern Category:Saber-Toothed Pseudowyvern Category:Barioth Category:Common Barioth